U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,541 discloses a multilingual database system including sorting data using a master universal sort order for all languages. The database system can be searched and retrieved by a user whether or not that data is in the user's own language. The data to be stored in the database is first encoded according to a master (or universal) sort order.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,036 discloses a method and device for learning a language. The patent discusses a teaching aid for reinforcing a student's ability to learn an unfamiliar language including an upper sheet (12) marked with symbolic indicia to be taught to the student and one or more base sheets (11), each marked with a different translated version of the indicia on the upper sheet. The indicia on each base sheet are marked in registry with the corresponding indicia on the upper sheet. One edge of the base sheet is joined, temporarily or permanently, to a corresponding edge of the upper sheet to allow the upper sheet to be lifted up from the base sheet to briefly expose a corresponding translation, transliteration, interpretation, or paraphrase marked on the base sheet then lowered again so that reading of the upper sheet can be instantly resumed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,765 discloses a method and circuit arrangement for transliteration of code words of a code having m-place code words into corresponding code words of a different code likewise having m-place code words, individual bits of the code word to be translitereated are forwarded during serial input into a m-place shift register or during the serial output therefrom. These bits are forwarded non-negated or negated from register stage to register stage over a respective forwarding circuit depending upon the measure or criterion of coincidence or non-coincidence between the code word to be transliterated and the code words of the different code. This occurs in such manner that the traversing bits experience a respective negation in front of and after a register stage whose position within the shift register corresponds to the position of non-coinciding bits within the two code words.
Systems such as the Apple.RTM. Macintosh.RTM. or Microsoft.RTM. Windows (TM) have dead keys which are employed to extend the range of the keyboard for accented characters. With this mechanism, a user can type a key (e.g. option-u for umlaut) which puts the keyboard into a special state, but does not generate a character or any other visible indication of what has occurred. When the user then types a base character--one that combines with the accent--then the keyboard generates the resulting accented character, for example, typing option-u, e produces e). However, this approach requires a user to be cognizant of particular special keys associated with a particular task.